If you’ve ever tried to convince your partner that a really cool bottle cap sculpture that you found at a garage sale will perfectly match your decor, imagine trying to convince him or her to foster a dog. That was the task that City Dogs Rescue foster, Melissa Schaffer, faced when trying to convince her partner, Ashu, to take on the task of bringing a furry friend into their home.“You have to know your partner. Is he or she practical and business-minded? Or do you need to appeal to his or her emotions?” Melissa said. “In either case, one of the most important things to remember is that you’re not making a permanent, life-altering decision. You’re just opening up your home for a short period to change the life of a dog.”At the time, they were living in Miami, FL, and had adopted their dog, Hopps, from a high kill shelter. “She was pretty rough around the edges when we first got her, but with some love and training, she became an absolutely awesome dog. Ashu and I often remark that getting her was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made,” Melissa said. “I wanted to give other overlooked shelter dogs the same chance to blossom and become beloved members of people’s families.”Melissa began volunteering for a rescue named Paws4You. She decided that she wanted to foster a dog and she’d need to figure out a way to convince Ashu to be on board.

Ashu and Lemon

“Ashu is a very practical guy. He rarely acts on emotion and he likes to have all the facts before making a decision. When I initially wanted to adopt a dog, I made him a PowerPoint presentation laying out all of the costs that would be involved, which breeds would be a good for our lifestyle, and the benefits of dog ownership,” Melissa said. “So when I decided I wanted to start fostering dogs, I took a similarly practical approach. I casually brought up the subject a few times, and once he started to consider it, we sat down and determined how much more it would cost us to have a second dog in the house (not much more than having one), and how much we would enjoy it (a lot). Still, it was hard to get him to give me a firm ‘yes.’ At that time I volunteered as a handler at a weekly adoption event for Paws4You. One Saturday I met a sweet, scared dog named Lili who needed a foster home. A few hours later I called Ashu to say I was on my way home…with a dog in the back seat. Luckily he didn’t kill me and we’ve been fostering ever since.”Melissa, Ashu and Hopps packed up and moved to Washington, DC where Melissa found City Dogs Rescue. They have become a fostering family opening their doors and hearts to Hans (now Dewey), Emma (now Raven), Champ (now Oboe), and Lemon.

Hopps keeps a watchful eye on Lemon

“Since it was my idea to foster a dog, I try to shoulder more of the responsibility, but Ashu is wonderful (and a total softie when it comes to dogs) so he is as involved as I am,” Melissa said. “Actually, Hopps ends up doing most of the work. When a foster dog comes to our house, Hopps shows him or her the ropes and will even correct bad behavior.”Their last foster dog, Lemon, had figured out how to lift the top of the dog food bin, but a few barks from Hopps was all it took to let Lemon know that wasn’t ok. Melissa also feels that the timid dogs seem to feel more comfortable with Hopps in the house. “I suppose they think that if Hopps trusts and respects us humans, we can’t be all that bad.”

Melissa hanging out with Lemon and Hopps

While fostering on a day-to-day basis, might not always be easy, Melissa said that it’s always rewarding in the end.

“It’s amazing to see the change in a dog when he or she begins to trust you. Once they feel safe and comfortable, they remember how to be dogs again. Nothing makes me smile more than watching a previously scared dog romp around and play for the first time.”And it’s not only enriched Melissa and Ashu’s lives, but also shaped how they see the bigger picture.“Fostering has taught us patience. It has taught us that there are more important things in life than a perfectly orderly house and that a little chaos can be a good thing. It has also taught Hopps to be better at sharing.”If you’re lucky enough to get your partner on board with fostering, Melissa believes that City Dogs Rescue will be there to support you.“The great thing about fostering for City Dogs Rescue is that they want to make fostering as easy as possible. If your foster dog isn’t the right fit for your other pets or your lifestyle, you’re not stuck in the situation. City Dogs will find a better match for you.”

We're happy to report that Buck is doing great with his fur-ever family.

Buck was a trooper.

Letter from Kevin:So Buck went in for his first heartworm treatment this morning and I figured it was a good time for an update. He was a trooper at the vet, of course, I was a mess. A lot of the online information about heartworm treatment is very alarming, but the vet really made me feel much better about the prognosis, especially given the fact that Buck is so calm. Also, she said he is probably late stage 1 given his x-rays, so he should be ale to come through this with no permanent damage (but there is the beginning of some lung damage and heart enlargement).

Otherwise, Buck is pretty much a dream. Dave was right when he said that all Buck would really want was to hang out in the room with us. He is not demanding at all and is happy either in the house or outside walking/sitting in the park.

We can leave him alone (although we very rarely do). He seems to sleep while we are gone, but then gets overly excited when we return (in a way he doesn't if one of us is home the whole time). But it is a completely manageable problem. We have kept working with Shera, but more on basic obedience and behavior than anxiety.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that things are going well and I think Buck is very happy. The next two months will be tough, but it will be worth it in the end.

They say good things come to those that wait. Since May, Daisy and Buttercup (a bonded pair of rat terriers) have been waiting for their forever home. During that time, they enjoyed the warmth, love and security of three foster homes.

Kate, their first foster, literally came to their rescue when Bladen County's A Shelter Friend informed us that as owner surrenders and a bonded pair, these girls would be first to be put down. The plea read "Don't let these girls die alone!" After Kate had to move, another great foster, Leslie took them for a few weeks while CDR tried to find a long-term foster. It was so great that CDR found Karen who took the pair in with her dog Sausage and allowed them to get treatment for heartworm. All their foster parents agreed – these were two great girls that simply couldn’t be separated.

Amy signed up to volunteer with dog intake for new shelter dogs. She got to talking with Darren about her dream to adopt a pair of dogs. After months of waiting, CDR received their first application for Daisy and Buttercup. Amy loves them dearly and has decided that Patty and Selma are very suitable names. CDR agrees.

An adorable one-year-old yellow lab named Bo came to City Dogs Rescue from a rural shelter in North Carolina where his days had been numbered.

Shortly after arriving to DC, he went to live with one of our great foster's Liz where this sweetheart of a dog enjoyed the warmth and comfort of a home. He quickly learned how to sit and shake.

Toys were a new concept for him but he soon grasp the concept and had hours of enjoyment. And he didn’t demand attention but was content to just be near his humans. He enjoyed exploring the world around him when he was out for a walk and easily made friends with a Corgi in the neighborhood.

Bo was a fan favorite at the festival!

Bo’s forever family met him at the 17th Street Festival. It was love at first sight for both. His forever family decided to rename him Grizzly since they previously had a dog named Bo. And this sweet boy doesn’t mind the name change at all. He was excited to show them that he already knew how to do so many things and he’s working hard on learning new things like “down”.

Grizzly doesn't seem very scary.

His family, who are avid hikers and campers, thought there was something particularly charming about a pooch who constantly smiles and wouldn’t harm a fly being name Grizzly. He will have his first camping adventure later this month.

Bo loves to play fetch!

But until that time, Grizzly is enjoying all the fun things the city has to offer including meeting new people, new dogs and playing fetch with a tennis ball in the yard beside his house.

A goofy, but loving guy

At the end of the day, this affectionate boy enjoys resting at the feet of his family while they sit on the couch until it’s time to retire for the night. Then, he gets to sleep on the bed and rest easy knowing he’s found the warmth and comfort of a family that will love him always.

It's hard to believe this goofy boy was ever out of time. Now he has a great, fun-filled life ahead of him!

City Dogs Rescue comes from humble beginnings and as a dog-only rescue, we don't have cats "available" for cat-testing. Solution? Schweppes, the rescue cat from Washington Humane Society, is our official "cat tester". Schweppes has taken part in many tests and all without a single complaint. He doesn't fuss or swipe at our dogs, no matter how crazy they are. Our great Director Darren made this tribute to Schweppes:

Also, check out the Best of Schweppes:

If your cat would like to volunteer, please email info@citydogsrescuedc.org

So we didn’t even last a week with Marble before we couldn’t live without her. I don’t mean to presume that we’ll get her. But our hearts would break if we didn’t.

As it turns out, Marble and Magick are like two peas in a pod. The three dogs actually walk BETTER on leash, than when I just had the two. Magick doesn’t pull as much and Marble needs to be guided by the others, because she just doesn’t know what to do or where to go when it’s just her and the mommy.

Kizzie, Magic, and Marble

Kizzie was really my main concern, because Marble comes on way too strong. He was terribly abused as a baby. The day Passion (his deceased sister) and I met him, we were all placed in a small room and it took him an HOUR to get up the nerve to approach us. He is a very sensitive boy. He gets upset if you even say “no” or “bad” in his vicinity, so this past week has been hard on him. He has grown so much and gotten so brave under Passion’s and Magick’s care, but he will always be one of those rescue dogs that never quite shrugs off his past. Anywho, I saw him turn a corner this weekend with Marble when he started *choosing*to lay down next to her. So he’s going to be fine with her. He’s mad at me for tricking him into loving her, but I didn’t exactly expect it would happen myself. So we’re even. :D

Marble's Shelter Photo

My experience with rescues is that they’re a bunch of martyrs who love to feel good about saving dogs, but have less concern about adopting them out and so, therefore, treat adoptive parents badly. It wasn’t a business model I wanted to get behind. It just doesn’t make sense to me how they can treat the prospective parents so poorly. I’m a pretty laid back person, except for when it comes to wasting my time. See, as a self-employed person, every quarter hour you waste is money out of my pocket. I earn a good amount per hour and I’m worth more than I charge. So DON’T WASTE MY TIME!!! I’m telling you this, because I can’t imagine the same feeling isn’t shared by most professional people in the DC area...we’re all paid well and value our time. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the most important thing any service organization—profit or non-profit—can know about their “customer”.

So, I wasn’t impressed at all with rescue organizations and decided to write them off and stick to shelters. Until I saw Marble’s pathetic face on your page. So I made an exception and, let me say, you guys are SO well run and coordinated. Communication has been beyond good, from every corner of the organization I’ve come in contact with. You guys are just a really class act and restored my faith in rescues...well, kinda. I’ll just call you an exception for now. I’m a tough consumer.

The Final Chapter of the Marble Diaries

Magick and Mystic

Read the first Chapter10/4/12—Marble’s foster mommy fell in love and was afraid to send diary entries over the past week, because she was afraid someone would want to adopt her little girl. So today she made it official and adopted her. Somehow her foster siblings understood and the energy has shifted in the home. It’s funny how everyone seems to know. All the mommy did differently was sign a piece of paper. But Magick Moonbeam has now begun to clean Marble’s ears the way she cleans her brother’s. Marble, who used to sleep through morning snuggles, has now begun to participate. And Kizzie and Magick Moonbeam, who used to just hide when Marble would steal toilet paper from the bathroom and start chewing on it, now come tell the mommy so she can stop the madness before the living room is, once again, covered in huggably soft Charmin confetti. Oh, and one more thing. Marble would like her fans to know that she’s changed her name to Mystic, partly because her mommy likes hippie names and partly because of the special talent she has for boring into your heart and soul and never letting go.